Larry Hagman, TV’s J.R., left behind “Heaven” on earth

“I have an apartment in New York, a ranch in Santa Fe, a castle in Ojai outside of L.A., a beach house in Malibu and thinking of buying a place in Santa Monica,” Larry Hagman, who died the day after Thanksgiving, once told the Chicago Tribune.

Playing J.R. Ewing on the soap Dallas made Hagman one of the highest-paid TV actors, and just before his death he was earning still more, filming for the reprise of the series focusing on the next Ewing generation. Like his character, Hagman invested some of his money in oil. Those investments didn’t do well — but he did manage to amass a real estate portfolio that would have made the Ewing family proud. The late actor’s most visible property was the mountaintop estate in Ojai, in Ventura county.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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Hagman's former retreat is perched on a mountaintop.

Hagman's former retreat is perched on a mountaintop.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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Here you can see both the main house and the 2-bedroom guest house.

Here you can see both the main house and the 2-bedroom guest house.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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The place has a ton of natural light.

The place has a ton of natural light.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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The landscaping is designed for the dry local climate.

The landscaping is designed for the dry local climate.

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The house has several wings surrounding a courtyard.

The house has several wings surrounding a courtyard.

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Is that taxidermy or a statue over the door?

Is that taxidermy or a statue over the door?

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Now THAT is a deck with a nice view.

Now THAT is a deck with a nice view.

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A nice little sitting area.

A nice little sitting area.

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This must be part of the kitchen.

This must be part of the kitchen.

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Ah, and the REST of the kitchen.

Ah, and the REST of the kitchen.

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An arbor walk.

An arbor walk.

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A game room.

A game room.

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A library.

A library.

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This must be the guest house.

This must be the guest house.

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A very floral bedroom -- even the shelves are wallpapered.

A very floral bedroom -- even the shelves are wallpapered.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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A bathroom with a Jacuzzi.

A bathroom with a Jacuzzi.

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This bedroom is more modestly decorated.

This bedroom is more modestly decorated.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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A nice guest bedroom.

A nice guest bedroom.

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This looks like a sitting room that goes with a bedroom.

This looks like a sitting room that goes with a bedroom.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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A lovely veranda view.

A lovely veranda view.

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A smaller bedroom.

A smaller bedroom.

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Bedroom, in reflection.

Bedroom, in reflection.

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Imagine the sunset walks you could take on this property.

Imagine the sunset walks you could take on this property.

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A fountain.

A fountain.

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A view of the water features.

A view of the water features.

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Gorgeous views.

Gorgeous views.

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This must be the helicopter pad. Living on a mountaintop may seem inconvenient, but not when you can get to LAX in 22 minutes.

This must be the helicopter pad. Living on a mountaintop may seem inconvenient, but not when you can get to LAX in 22 minutes.

Photo: Prudential California Realty

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Larry Hagman, TV's J.R., left behind "Heaven" on earth

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Part of the reason the Ojai estate is highly visible is that it’s for sale. The listing describes it as a 7-bedroom, 10-bathroom villa with an ocean view on 43 acres, including an avocado orchard. It’s listed for $6.5 million. CarProperty.com notes that it has five garage spaces — hardly Romney-esque, but surely adequate for the average oil or TV drama baron. According to the Ventura County Star, Hagman and his longtime wife Maj called the estate “Heaven.” That’s right — whatever your beliefs about the afterlife, Hagman has already been to heaven — and he wanted to sell it.

The newspaper reported that Hagman and his wife bought the property in 1987 and turned a small house with two large garages into a 23,000-square-foot Tuscany-style compound, with such quirky details as a Harley Davidson motorcycle in the living room. Unfortunately, that piece of decor is not in the listing photos, so it must have been removed for staging purposes. There’s also a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom guest house. Two outdoor pools — a long winding one and a grotto-style spa — supplemented the indoor lap pool and Jacuzzi, the newspaper said. Regular parties the couple held included fundraisers for Sen. Barbara Boxer.

The property’s Web site, Heaven in Ojai, includes a video tour narrated by Hagman. In it, he says that when his wife started renovating and expanding the modest home originally on the property, he expected to end up with maybe a 4-bedroom home. (Talk about scope creep.) He explains how handy the helipad is for both fire safety and for getting out of town quickly. He also describes his $800,000 solar panel system, which the site says is the largest private home solar system in the United States.

hagman

Larry Hagman. (Associated Press)

Of course, Ojai isn’t the only property associated with Hagman. Since his death, tourist visits have been up at Southfork Ranch in Dallas, where Hagman’s famously black-hearted character JR lived with the rest of the Ewing clan on the show.

Photo from SouthforkRanch.com

Soutfork Ranch (SouthforkRanch.com)

Carrie Kirby is a freelance writer who recently returned to the Bay Area after living for six years in Chicago. Carrie is more heavily invested in real estate than she ever expected to be, since she and her husband are now long-distance landlords of their Chicago home, and have also purchased a house in Alameda. She posts about interesting properties and real estate trends in San Francisco and Silicon Valley every Tuesday. Carrie also shares money-saving tips on her blog, Frugalistic Mom.